Fountain-pen.



E. H. JOHNSON.

FOUNTAIN PEN. v

- APPLIOATION FILED 11.13, 1909. RENEWED NOV. 21, 1912.

Patented June 24, 1913.

-To all :whom it may concern:

Be 1t known'that I, EDWARD H. J oHNsoN,

UNITED. STATES:

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD H. JOHNSON, .OF IIEW YORK, N. f ASSIGNOR TO SAMUEL INSULL'OF cnrcaeo,

ILLINOIS.

' rotmmrn-rnn.

a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, borough of Manhattan, county I fiuand state of New York, have made a new and useful Invention in Fountain-Pens, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its objects, first, to devise a simple, cheap and eflicient means for enabling a person to fill theink chamber or barrel of such pens by creating a vacuum therein due to suction eflected' through the mouth. Second, to devise a fountain pen of the vacuum type which,

thereby modifying the application of the vacuum from time to time without wastmg any of the 1nk and assuring an absolute-and positive feed at all times. Third,

to devise a fountain pen having a collapsible ink chamber which is of such structural nature that when the ink is exhausted it is inert or inherently incapable of restoringitself to its normal or distended condition,

as when filled with ink and ready for use.

My invention will be understood by referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates the same in sectional view with the ink containing tube or-sack partly in elevational and partly in broken sectional view, and all upon an enlarged scale, preferably 2 to 1, said ink containing tube being entirely filled with ink.

The invention illustrated and hereinafter described is of that type of fountain pen in which a secondary or supplementary ink chamber or barrel, such as a soft rubber tube or sack, is employed for t e purpose of effecting the automatic filling of the pen.

[These ink holding sacks as heretofore devised have invariably been of normal tubular form, also quite elastic, and the method of utilizing them has been to exert an external pressure thereon in various ways and so distort them as to cause their automatic return to normal form upon release of the pressure or applied energy, thereby supplying the essential difference of air pressure to insure the inflow of the ink. Manifestly, the work done in such devices results from the elasticity of the material of which the tube or sack is composed. This beingthe Specification e f Letters Patent. 'Applicatlon filed January 13,1909, Serial Ho. 472,132.- Renewed November 21, 1912. Serial No.

" Patented June 24, 1913.

case, it is obvious that the heavier the body of the saek; 'assuming the external pressure to be unl1m1tedthe greater will be the intake capacity of the tube. If, however, the external pressure or applied energy be limited, as is the case when it is supplied by lnflatlng the human lungs and through the agency of the mouth, then the intake capacity 1s limited to the weight of body such pressure is capable of compressing, which in point of fact is very small,'so small indeed as-to prevent the utilizing of this simple source of pressure supply. My improvement reverses all this, both in princlple and in the quality of the means employed. I withdraw instead of applying external pressure and I employ a tube or sack which is as completely inert and incapable of self-action due to elasticity as it is possible to secure. My tube or sack being inert or incapable of sustaining even its own weight, naturally collapses as it is emptied of ink; hence I have but to withdraw the air surrounding 'it in the ink chamber to insure the immediate and full flow of ink into it. In view of the inert or collapsible nature of this tube or sack any air which enters the same, as the ink 1s drawn out in use, will naturally be forced out as air is admitted into the ink chamber. Obviously, this action is impossible with a sack Whose normal form is tubular and which is fully extended by its inherent elasticity when empty, as is' the case with self .filling pens of this type heretofore devised.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, 1 represents the exhaust chamber or body of the pen proper, the same being provided with a relatively loosely screw threaded cap 2.

3 is a regulating suction vent'o'r opening in an air tight plug 4 secured in the upper end of the exhaust chamber.

5 is a downward neck or extension inside the cap 2 provided at its lower end with a hemispherical socket.

6 is a similar hemispherical socket or seat in the upper surface of the plug 4: adapted to seat a ball valve 10 between the hemispherical sockets and the upper end of the Vent 3; these parts together constituting means for regulating the flow of the ink at the will of the user, and also for effectually shutting off such flow when it is desired to discontinuethe use of the pen. The parts referred to also constitute means for efiecting the filling of the ink chamber by suc tion, when desired.

18 is a point section, 14 15 the nib or pen; 16 being the feed-bar. The inner end of the point section 13 is provided with a knob or extension 18 to which is secured by a thread or otherwise my novel ink holding tube or sack 17 the same being open at its lower end and preferably made of thin collapsible material; in fact so thin that when the ink is fully exhausted and air has been admitted from time to time into the exhaust chamber it will collapse by its own weight. This tube may be made of bladder, rubber, oil-skin, or any equivalent impervious material and it should be of the finest quality and of the thinnest possible nature. It is to be distinctly understood that the relation between the screw-threads of the ca and exhaust chamber 1 is such that air W11. freely circulate between such threads when the cap is turned backward a suflicient distance to unseal its connected relation with the seating ,shoulder for such cap at the upper end of the chamber.-

In the use of this novel pen it is only necessary to slightly loosen the relatively loosely screw -'threaded cap 2 enough to release the ball valve 10, insert the nib or pen 15 and feed-bar 16 into an ink bottle and then draw by suction all of the air out of the chamber 1. In doing this a vacuum'is created in the chamber 1, thus causing the ink to flow upward into the ink holding tube or s ack 17, ultimately distending the sameto its fullest extent and when filled it will prevent the further flow of ink therein, and in its distended position will practically fill the entire chamber 1, as shown in the drawing. It will be apparent that under no circumstances can any ink reach the mouth of the user, either during the process of filling or after the tube or sack 17 is full. The valve or ball 10 automatically reseats itself whenever the suction is discontinued, thereby maintaining the vacuum at all times.- The vacuum effects may be modified or regulated from time to time by releasing the screw cap 2, and unseating the valve or ball 10 by suction, or by reversing or turning the chamber or barrel upside down, as when this is done the vacuum is broken down. If the chamber 1 be of transparent material, the user will observethe relative collapsed condition of the tube 17 and be thereby advised as to when the pen should be refilled.

FoHobtaining the best possible results with the invention, it is important that when the .tube or sack 17 has been filled to its fullestcapacity with ink there shall be no elastic strain on any part. thercof, for the reason that any such strain will offer an unthe ink duct and necessary pressure upon the ink contained therein, thus forcing it out through the ink duct 14, instead of allowing the same to flow by capillary action as is usual with such pens.

I do not limit my invention to the special details of construction shown in the drawing and hereinbefore described, as obviously a number of the features thereof might be departed from and still come within the scope of my claims hereinafter made, my invention being directed broadly to an imroved fountainpen in which the ink is held 1n suspension in a collapsible tube or sack inclosed in an exhaust chamber,through the agency of a vacuum established by suction of the air through a suction vent preferably at or near the top of the chamber, the struc-' tural arrangement being such that the ink can never reach the mouth of the user during the process of filling and also such that .the flow thereof, when. in use, may be reguw la-ted at will by relieving the vacuum through the agency of means at or near the upper end of the device.

I am awarethat fountain pens have heretofore been constructed with transparent ink containing chambers for the purpose of indicating the height of. the ink therein, and I make no claim hereinafter broad enough to include such an article.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 4 cut of the United States is 1. A fountain pen providedwith a barrel and aninert collapsible ink tube or sack located therein, said tube being connected at its lower end to the nib or pen; together witha suction vent connecting the interior of the barrel with the exterior air, and

means for closing the vent when the tube is filled to the desired extent, substantially as described.

2. A fountain pen having a barrel, an inert collapsible tube or sack located there-. in and connected at the lower end to the nib or pen proper; together with a vent at the upper end of the barrel and adjustable means for regulating the flow of air in accordance with the value of the vacuum and the varying quantity of ink in the pen, substantially as described.

3. A fountain pen embracing a barrel, an inert collapsible 1nk tube open at its lower end only and connected directly with the feed duct of the nib or pen; together with a vent at the other end of the barrel, and means for regulating the flow of air through the vent when it is desired to modify the vacuum and regulate the ink feed to the pen, substantially as described.

4. 'A fountain en prov1ded with an inert collapsible ink tu e or sack connected at one end to the feed duct of the nib or pen; together with a suction vent for inflating and filling said tube with st-antially as described.

5. A, fountain pen embracing an inert ink by suction, sub- 7 collapsible ink tube; a nib or pen connected thereto by a feed duct; together with a vent for filling it by suction, and a Valve for maintaining it filled under the influence of a vacuum When established, substantially as described.

6. A fountain pen provided With a transparent exhaust chamber having a suction vent at one end and an ink duct at the other,

the latter being operatively connected ivith an inert collapsible tube or sack located wholly Within the chamber,

and a valve for 15 closing the vent When the pen is charged or 

